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Fresh multi-million-dollar nutrition project soon

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March 28, 2000

The government is contemplating launching a multi-million dollar new nutrition programme similar to one now in progress and acclaimed as a model "path breaking" programme by international experts.

The existing Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project (BINP) will continue till December 2001. The new project, titled the "National Nutrition Programme (NNP)", a four-year scheme-involving over Taka 6,00 crore or us 124 million dollars, is expected to be approved soon by the authorities concerned, official sources said yesterday. 

The sources, however, pointed out that the NNP is scheduled to be launched 18th months before the expiry of the existing Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project (BINP), a six-year program.

The World Bank, Canadian International Development Agency (CIUA) and the Netherlands will finance the NNP while the UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) would provide technical assistance. The World Bank, which coordinates development programme in Bangladesh, requested the government negotiators to join the final phase of the project negotiations expected to begin on April 3 at its headquarters in Washington DC.

As per project proposal, the NNP would go for implementation from July 1 this year and will directly cover 139 thanas or one third of the country's total area, the sources said.

The BINP that went into operation back in July 1995 is a Taka 300 crore or US 69 million-dollar project. It has covered 40 thanas. Twenty more thanas are scheduled to come under this programme in April. The project is totally funded by the World Bank.

The objective of the BINP was to reduce both macro and micronutrient malnutrition of under-two population (children), pregnant and lactating women, the sources said.

"Since launching, the BINP achieved commendable success, " said a recent document prepared by the government. "Severe malnutrition has come down from 18 per cent to below 02 per cent
while incidence of Low Birth Weight (LBW) has come down from 40 per cent to 17 per cent and over 93 per cent under two children are covered by the Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) in the area covered under the project," it said.

BINP officials in Dhaka said that the programme has benefited about 11 million people of the areas covered under it. They said that a number of NCOs are working with the government as partners to provide service deliveries to the target groups.

Some officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, however, are of the opinion that the government can achieve the target of the NNP at a much lower cost if the BINP is extended instead of launching a new programme.

Officials of the Finance Ministry and the World Bank disagree with these group because there will be new elements in the NNP.

Source: The Independent